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Developed by Mauser & Gray Firearms, the 960 was a Pulse Laser rifle that also featured an integrated grenade launcher and retractable Vibroblade bayonet. Both the pulse laser and grenade launcher used the same trigger, requiring the use of a safety/selector switch located next to the bayonet activation button. Contained within the weapon's stock was an extensive survival kit, which included two two-hour emergency flares which doubled as fire-starters, a flashlight and batteries for 48-hours of use, a pulse signal stick with visible/infrared strobe light and emergency radio, a folding spade and a medical kit which included a two-day supply of nutrition pills and a five-meter length of self-adhesive bandage.[1] Though capable, the system had one serious drawback: It was very heavy. At its lightest, the unit weighed just under ten kilograms, which led to rapid fatigue of the infantrymen who used it.[2]

Of the few original Mauser 960s which have survived into the thirty-first century, most are in horrible shape and prone to malfunction, such as the selector switch being jammed, while the survival kit has typically been stripped for use, though the stock compartment can be used to store extra ammunition.[1] Only ComStar was able to maintain a sizable stockpile of these weapons in working order, and even then it was an uncommon sight among the Com Guard. The Clans, however, were able to maintain production of Mauser 960 and armed some of their unarmored infantry with it, eventually producing a successor to the design known as the Mauser IIC Infantry Assault System. In the wake of the ComStar Schism, the Word of Blake would also produce their own successor to this venerable weapon, the Mauser 1200 Light Support System, which dispensed with the survival kit.[3]